It is known to provide flexible covers, often positioned within a housing or cassette, to protect rear cargo areas of vehicles. Typically, these flexible covers are positioned in a cassette mounted adjacent the head rests of a second seat row. The flexible covers are extendable from their normal, retracted position downward, rearward and/or forward in order to prevent visibility into a rear cargo area, or to provide shading or floor protection. Placement of the one or more flexible covers in this position adjacent the head rests leaves the rear cargo area exposed when the second seat row is collapsed or folded down. In this scenario, at least the forward portion of the rear cargo area is visible through one or more side windows. Even more, the utilization of more than one flexible cover is not always required and a single cassette with multiple covers positioned in the cargo area can be cumbersome within the vehicle.
Accordingly, a need exists for a cover system for a vehicle that prevents visibility into the rear cargo area even when the second seat row, or even a portion of the second seat row in the situation where multiple, divided seats form the row, is folded down. Such a cover system would also preferably minimize the utilization of the passenger compartment and provide flexibility in the number of flexible covers that could be utilized in varying configurations to prevent visibility into the rear cargo area, or to provide shading or floor protection. Even more, the cover system would not hinder storage of elongated items within the rear cargo area when the flexible covers are in an extended position.